Forever...

Last night during Family Home Evening we had a lesson on the Savior's visit to the America's after his resurrection. I was telling Joaquin how wonderful it is that the Savior lives and because of him we can be together forever. Here is how it went.
Me: "Joaquin we can be a family together forever because of Jesus"
Joaquin: No response.
Me: "You can be with Mommy and Daddy forever because of Jesus"
Joaquin: "I don't want to be with Mommy and Daddy forever" I want to be with ?#@? forever.
Me: (I thought he said Daddy). "You want to be with just Daddy forever?"
Joaquin: "No I want to just be with ?#%@#? forever!"
Me: "Daddy?"
Joaquin: "No, I want to be with Jacqi forever!"
Me & Daddy: With big smiles "OH!"
Me to Daddy: "Mom will love this!"
Family Home Evening was a success!

The Last Week...Easter

Sometimes words are inadequate in helping us express the spiritual things we experience and last week, the week leading up to Easter was one of those times. As we concluded the week with a discussion on the empty tomb my heart was overflowing as were my eyes. Our home was filled with such a sweet peace. Joaquin and Zeke loved our Jesus wall. I used the Gospel art Kit to help me tell them about the last week of Jesus' life and then we hung them on the wall. I would find both of them throughout the day standing and looking and talking about what they saw. We decided to leave it up a little longer :).

My favorite part of the week was memorizing a portion of "The Living Christ" for the 12 days leading up to Easter. What strength and closeness I felt to the Savior as those words ran through my head throughout the week. It felt good, so good that I decided to memorize a new scripture each day for the remainder of the year. I may not remember it far beyond the day I memorize it but for that day it will be part of me. One of my favorite scriptures says,

"...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jerimiah 31:33

and also in Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.

Memorizing the Living Christ helped me to write His life, His atonement, and His resurrection upon my heart. Every good thing that I have, that I am, that I do, is because He lives...He is the Living Christ. It makes me want to shout for joy :)!!

Inspired to "TRI"

You know the thing I like about Conference?  Well, unlike every other thing in life it ALWAYS exceeds my expectations.   This conference was no exception.  Can I just say QUE FANTASTICA! QUE RICA!  QUE BONITA!  QUE ESPIRITUAL!  (on ocassion I get excited in Spanish :)

Before I add my own excited thoughts....I want to hear about your conference experience.  How was it?

more about the title of this blog later :)...

Christ's Last Week

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays but now, after the passing of my sister Caprece, it has even more significance for me.   I wanted to do something special this year.  Something that would really help my family to focus on the Savior.  I did some research and found some wonderful ideas.  I finally settled on the idea of "The 12 days of Easter"  I purchased enough plastic eggs for each of the 12 days.  I put them in a pretty basket so that we can see them and remember.  Each day we will open one egg and do what it says inside.  Rodrigo and I are memorizing a portion of "The Living Christ" each of the 12 days.  Along with the eggs we are following the last week of the Savior's life beginning today, Palm Sunday.  Each day using the corresponding picture from the gospel art kit we will have a devotional and discuss the things that happened in Christ's life that day.  Thursday we will celebrate passover with foods that are typically eaten.  Saturday we will have an egg hunt and I will give the boys a little treat.  Sunday we are getting up to watch the Sun rise.  We will talk about His resurrection and share our testimonies with each other (help Joaquin to practice:)  and have a celebration dinner after we attend our meetings.  It doesn't end there though!  Monday we are going to have a FHE on his visit to the Americas.

Sunday - Triumphal Entry "Palm Sunday"

Monday - The Savior Cleanses the Temple

Tuesday - Scribes question Jesus/Parables and teachings

Wednesday -Scriptures are silent on the events of this day.  FHE and overview of the week also discuss Conference and the things we enjoyed. 

Thursday - Passover, Garden of Gethsemene, Betrayal

Friday - Arrested, Tried, and Cruxified

Saturday - Visits the spirit world - Make Easter Story Cookies

Sunday - Resurrection - "The Empty Tomb" - Make Empty Tomb Rolls as part of celebration dinner.

Monday - FHE - Discuss his visit to the Nephites and have a fun activity.  

I hope that this week will help strengthen our testimony of Jesus Christ...his life, his great atoning sacrifice and his resurrection.

Happy Easter Week Everyone!!!

Conference Weekend

This year Joaquin is old enough to begin to understand what General Conference is all about.  So with the help of the Ensign and a few wonderful fellow bloggers I know, we have decided to start a few conference family traditions of our own.

Our Conference traditions  growing up were simply that we always watched all 4 sessions.  I was 9 when we joined the church so some opportunity had passed. But this simple tradition helped build my testimony of its importance.  I grew up with a love for hearing the voice of the prophets and apostles and want to instill that same love and excitement into my own children.   Here are the traditions that we started this year...I know they will evolve over time as will our family but we feel it is a good beginning for helping Joaquin and Ezekiel delight in the word of the Lord.

• We had a Family Home Evening on Monday which we discussed the prophets and apostles.   Earlier in the day I had removed the poster from the previous conference edition of the Ensign of all of the prophets posted in cardstock and we used it as a visual for our discussion.  I also had prepared a few other fun activites around this theme.  We ended by having Joaquin help us identify each apostle and the prophet on a blank poster.  I was amazed at how much he remembered.  We then placed the poster on the wall in our living room so that we could refer to it throughout the week.  We placed it at their eye level so that they could look at it.  I have been amazed at how often I find Ezekiel standing looking at it.  Anyway, during our Family Home evening we planned and coordinated the rest of our traditions.
• Each night, at dinner, I will ask the question, "Who is going to speak to us this weekend"  The first night I asked this Joaquin replied, "Jesus."  I said, "Exactly!  Through his prophet we will hear His voice."  He gets it better than most of us adults do.
• As suggested by a family in the ensign we are using the Friday before to clean and get all of our errands done so that we can relax and enjoy conference weekend.
• We will have a picnic between the sessions on Saturday.
• I have also prepared for the kids activites to do during the session that will help them listen as well as a little activity for Rodrigo and I to help us prepare.
• The FHE following conference we will discuss some of the things that we enjoyed and learned.
• Lastly but most importantly we have been praying each night for the speakers in their preparations and for ourselves to listen with an open heart prepared to act upon promptings we will receive.

It has been a really wonderful week.  Watching my boys get excited to hear the prophets and apostles speak  we are working hard today to get ready and can't wait for the wonderful spirit we will be blessed to experience this weekend.  Happy Conference Everyone!!!! 

Casper...The friendly Ghost

As I sit here working on rounding up some insurance quotes, I hear Joaquin in the other room calling for "Casper".  I thought he was pretending that Ezekiel was Casper but when I went to check on them it was cold in the room and I thought maybe they had opened the patio door (they do this sometimes to say hi to passerbys.  I asked Joaquin if he had opened the door and he said yes.  I said why and this was his reply, "Casper can't hear me."  I said oh and locked the door.  He then said to me, "Maybe he is in my room." and he ran to check.  "Nope he isn't here."  A few more calls for Casper and then he resigned himself to the fact that he was nowhere to be found.  Joaquin discovered Casper a few months ago when I allowed him to watch the movie.  We checked out a DVD of the old cartoon from the library this week.  He is fascinated with him.  You know it is hard to teach kids his age about the Holy Ghost.  However, his first Sunday in primary this year they started talking about the Holy Ghost.  I didn't even think twice about it but he looked at me and said "the Holy Ghost?"  it was a perfect teaching moment...I whispered a brief explanation...being sure to tell him he wasn't anything like Casper except that he too didn't have a body.  As a result Joaquin is very intrigued by the Holy Ghost and we talk about him and his role in the God head all of the time.  Joaquin prays to listen and obey his promptings.  I don't think I would have planned it this way...introducing Casper so I could teach about the Holy Ghost but I do know this...if we are in tune with the Spririt He will take seemingly insignificant moments and turn them into opportunities to teach and learn.  How very grateful I am for the guidance, council, comfort, and joy he brings, as I live worthily.